Flexible shoe.



G. L. PIERCE.

FLEXIBLE SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2. I9I5. Hamm;

Patented Nov. 23, 1915 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

. [n @en for:

TQQ/y@ L. y

G. L. PIERCE.

FLEXIBLE SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.2. I9I5.

1,161,832, Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SH EET 2.

IULUMBM PMNOORAPH CD..WA AINOTDN. n.

GEORGE L. EIEEOE, OE BEOOELYE, YORK,

Erre. Oo., OE JERSEY OLLTY, NEW JERSEY,

ASSlGNQR To A- e. SPALDING e ,Bees e Coeroerron QF New JERSEY.

ELEXIELE SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

Application led August 2, 13,15. `Serial No. 43,231.

To all whom t may ,concern Be it known that I, GEORGE L PIEROE, citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Slices, of which the following is a specilication.

lt is the obj ect of my invention to provide a shoe having a great degree of flexibility particularly at its shank portion, and while the shoe is adapted for general use, it 4is particularly suited to the requirements of foot-ball and base-ball `players many of Whom desire to have a shoe with a flexible shank so as to .enable them to attain higher speed in running. A shoe adaptedA for use of athletes must be of durable construction, and while seeking to obtain a shoe ,0f flexf ible character I have also had in mind the necessity of strength in construction.

The invention consists in the features and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings Figure l is a bottom plan view of a shoe embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view representing the shoe as cut on the line cf-.a3 and with members of the structure displaced or turned upto better show their relative positions and a part of the outer sole has been omitted from this view; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view substantially o n the line e-cl showing the shoe at 4onefpoinkt in its course of construction; Fig. .4L is a sectional view substantially on theline .4i-f4 of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view at .the heel portion of the shoe. Fig. 6 is va .sectional view of a mod-iication.

The shoe comprises an inner member 1 lof leather extending from .toe to the rearedge of the heel, providing the inner sole and iexible shank portions.

The upper 2 is lasted over this 4combined inner sole and shank member', and while 4on the last the upper is stitched at 4C to the welt 3 along the ball `and the upper isy at tached at the heel in the usual manner. Along the intermediate shank portions lx the upper, together with the two flexible strips of leather 5, 6, are stitched as at 7 to the edge of the shank, said edge being chair neled or shouldered as at 8, to .receive first the edge of the upper and second the doubled edge of the flexible shank strip. This stitching of the upper and the flexible .shank or welt Vstrips 5, G, to the shank portion of the inner sole can be `done as though these strips' were continuations of the welt `3, the stitching operation for uniting the upper to the welt around the ball of the foot being continued along the shank portion to unite the upper and the flexible Ashank or welt strips 5, 6. The ,outer sole covering the ball can be sewed 1to the Welt 3 Without removing the last. This cuter sole is shown at 9, the stitches uniting the outer sole with the welt being indicated at l0. At the `heel portlon ofthe shoe the upper is attached to the inner member and the heel tap superim* posed in the 4usual manner, which will be familiar to any one skilled in the art.

It will `be observed that the Viiexible shank or welt strips 5, 6, overlie the face of the shank portion `of the inner sole, and extend over the stitching which `connects their outer edges to the ledge of the shank portion. Their inner edges nearly meet as shown, but if .desi-red these inner edges may overlap in order to provide extra thickness of material along the median lines of the shank. The overlying portions, flexible shank or welt l[strips 5, 6, are cemented to the inner mem- The only operation which is carried out after remo-ving the last is that now to ,bedescribed. At 13 is shown an outer strip'of flexible leather which overlies the meeting or ,overlapping edges of the shank strips 5 and. This stripy having been superimposed on the shank orbroad welt strips, it is stitched at 14 to the shank portion of the inner sole, 4the stitches passing through this covering strip, the shank strips or welts `5 and `6, and said shank portion of the inner sole. This operation of stitching at 14: is carried .ont after the shoe is removed from the last. It can be conveniently done, and as all the other operations of uniting of the parts previously described take place while the parts are on the last, there is noopportunity for the shoe to get out of shape in .the course ,of manufacture, the last Operation being done while the last is removed, not affecting the shape of the shoe already attained.y

It `will .be seen from the above that .the inner sole is continuous throughoutthe toe, ball, shank and heel portions, and that the shoe is sewedthroughont. Toput ,the oper,- ation briey and in another way, the upper,

inner sole and Welt are stitched together in# substantially. the ordinary Way While the parts are in place 'on the last, and the stitching can 'be continued along the shank portion of the inner sole to secure the ripper and the flexible Welt strips or flaps 5 and 6 to the vshank portion, this stitching being laid in theY same direction as the Welt stitching, and forming substantially a continua# tion of that operation, and after this is done and the uniting of the ripper to the heel portionof the-inner member has taken place, the last is removed, the covering strip is applied over the meeting or adjacent edges of the flaps or strips 5 and 6, and then thiscovering strip is sewed in place.` Y It will be observed that the usual ivelt indicated'at 3 ends just backof the ballv of the foot, namely: at the beginning of the shank and the shank is then filled in with the very broad Welts or flaps 5, 6, and preferably these are madey of kangaroo skin, being strong andvery flexible. These strips reach to orlpast the center line of the shank, and the covering strip which is seived over their meeting ends is also of kangaroo skin.

vThe outer sole is cut olf at the beginning of the'shank, and the heel begins at the rear end of the shank portion. .These kangaroo shank strips extend slightly under the edge of the outer sole and heel, and are held by a line of stitches extending ktransversely and passing through the inner sole and heel strip. f Y Y In Fig. 6 I have shovvn a modification in vvhich the broad Welt strips 5, 6', overlap each other, and are covered by the strip 13. This provides extra thickness of the flexible covering forthe shank and added protection to the users foot.

y It Will be understood that one of the main features of my invention relates to the construction of the flexible shank itself, Without regard to the construction at the other parts of the shoe. For instance, thejWelt formation at the ball of thev shoe may be omitted, if desired, only the shank portion of thev shoe being constructed withthe Welt strips. Itwill rbe understood also that a supplemental feature of the invention is the relation of the shank construction to the construction at the other parts of the shoe.

lWhat I claim is 1. A kflexible shoe having `aninner sole extending continuously from lthe toe to the rear of the heel, an upper and a 4Welt stitched to the fore part of said inner sole, an outer sole stitched to the Welt, broad Welt strips together with the upper. stitched to the shank portion of the inner sole, said broad j vveltv strips extending over the bottom face of the shank portion, and a covering strip for the adjacentedges of the broad Welt strips, said covering being secured to the shank portion by stitches passing through said covering strip, the broad Welt strips and the shank portion of the inner sole, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a shoe, an inner sole extending from the toe to the rear of the heel, an upper secured to the inner sole about the toe and ball and shank portion, broad Welt strips secured to the edge portions of the shankportion of the inner sole and extending over the bottom face of the said shank portion and a covering strip for the adjacent edges of the broad welt strips, said covering member being stitched to the shank portion of the inner sole, substantially as described.

3. In combination an inner sole extending from the toe to the heel and providing a shank portion, Welt strips extending over the bottom face of the shank portion, an upper, stitches securing the upper to the inner sole along the edges of the ball and shank portions, said stitches being similarly disposed along the ball and the shank portion to permit their insertion by a continuation of a similar stitching operation from the ball to and along the shank portion, said stitches uniting the edges of the welt strips to the edges of the shank portion and a covering strip extending over the adjacent edges of the Welt strips and secured to the shank portion by Stitches, substantially as described.

4. In combination in a shoe, an inner sole extending from the toe to the heel of the shoe and providing a shank portion, an upper secured to the inner sole along the edges of the ball and shank portions thereof, Welt strips also stitched to the edges of the shank portion and extending over the under face of said shank portion, a covering portion or strip stitched to the shank portion and overlying the adjacent edges of the welt strips, the said Welt strips terminating at the ball and lieel, an outer sole overlying the front portions of the said Welt and covering strips, a heel tap overlying the rear portion of said Welt and covering strips and stitches passing through the rear portion of the outer sole and the front portion of the heel and through said strips and inner sole, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a shoe a member extending from the toe to the heel and providing an intermediate flexible shank portion, an upper attached to said member, broad Welt strips extending over the bottom face of the shank portion and overlapping. each other, said welt strips being secured to the edges of the shank portion, and a covering strip extending over the overlapping portions of the welt strips and stitchedzthrough said strips to the shank portion-of the said member, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a shoe, a flexible 13( shank between the heel and ball portions, an covering member, the broad Welt strips, and upper, broad Welt strips stitched to the the shank portion, substantially as described. 10

shank portion, said broad Welt strips eX- In testimony Wl1ereof,I alx my signature tending over the bottom face of said shank in presence of two Witnesses.

portion, and a covering strip for the adja- GEORGE L. PIERCE. eent edges of the broad Welt strips, said Witnesses:

covering member being secured to the shank H. BOARDMAN SPALDING,

portion by stitches passing through said FRANCIS G. COATEs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

